A Flower, Nick?
by soul.quiet
Summary: The team gets a new member, but not what they expected. Nick hides a secret from his team, but what happens when that secret comes out?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Nick slammed his locker door shut and sat down heavily on the bench in the changing room. DB entered the room with a sigh and popped open his own locker, shrugging out of his vest.

"Boy, I can't wait to get home. The wife is made my favourite tonight. My son is home for a few days too- bringing his new girlfriend." DB smiled, but Nick didn't respond.

"You okay there, Nick?" He asked, giving him a measured, sidelong glance. Nick glanced up at him, smiled, nodded and averted his gaze to the floor. DB knew better than to believe this affirmation.

"It's rough when things like this happen." He said wisely. "It makes you temporarily blind to how good the world can be." He eased himself down beside Nick on the bench.

"This innocent little girl was bullied and bullied, and eventually was murdered by her classmates, and the whole thing was covered up by the teachers so that they could keep their jobs. How am I supposed to see the good in the world right now?" Nick leaned forward onto his knees, running a hand over his buzz cut hair.

"Well," said DB thoughtfully. "On the bright side, those teachers didn't get away with it- because you wouldn't let them. This story will hit the news tomorrow, and everyone will be made aware of just how serious and deep the bullying problem is in this country. And most importantly, you brought some closure to that little girl's parents." Once again, Nick didn't respond.

"Nick, you should go home. Spend some time with Sam. He is the epitome of good in the world." DB clapped him on the back.

"Yeah I guess so." Nick could not stop thinking about the girl in the morgue downstairs.

"Come on. We'll walk out together." DB motioned for him to stand, and he did. He wasn't in the mood to disagree. Shortly afterwards, they were standing in the halo of light created by the lamp posts in the parking lot.

"Go home, Nick. Get some rest. You have a couple of days off now, so make the most of them." DB smiled and patted Nick's arm, heading for his own car. Nick sighed.

"Yeah…get some rest." He got into his car and started on his drive home, looking forward to seeing his dog, Sam.

When he got home, Sam was waiting for him, acting like it had been days since he had last seen Nick, and it was exactly what Nick needed. He decided to immediately head out to the dog park with him to let him run around and burn off some energy. The dog managed to lift his spirits and soon Nick was laughing. He threw a tennis ball and watched Sam run like mad to fetch it.

"Allez Sam! Allez, vite!" He called. Soon, Sam was running back, tail wagging proudly behind him. They continued to play for the next hour or so and then, when the early morning risers began to make their way to the park, Nick walked home with Sam, who looked sufficiently tuckered out. When they got home, Nick gave him some food and headed for the shower to rid him of the final remnants of the horrible night at work before heading to bed while everyone else headed to work.

After only a few short, restless hours, Nick was up and getting dressed. He decided to go run some errands, do some grocery shopping and such. After that, he headed back to work to use the gym, which ended up being a bad idea because it made him remember the little girl. It didn't help that some guys on the machines next to him were having a conversation about it and trying to get him in on it, since he worked the case. By night time, he wanted to be anywhere but home, so he put on a pair of jeans and a grey button down shirt, got in his car and drove. He had no set destination and somewhere along the way, he found himself pulling into the parking lot of a bar just off the strip. He took the key out of the ignition and sauntered slowly to the entrance. Once inside, it took a minute for him to locate a seat (not uncommon) and finally found one at the end of the bar. When the bartender came near, he asked for a beer and leaned on the bar, watching the band performing onstage; really not paying attention to anyone in particular.

Shortly after starting on his second beer, he noticed a woman sitting at a table not too far away from him and just slightly in front of him. She was being approached by a man that had a little too much bling on to be any kind of gentleman. He watched as she repeated shook her head in the negative to whatever questions he was asking her. She made a motion with her hand over her drink as if to say she didn't want another one. Nick couldn't believe that this guy was still trying. This girl was clearly out of his league and not even willing to give him a chance- and he couldn't blame her. He watched as the man tried to touch her cheek and she jerked her head away as politely as she could.

"Alright, enough, you douchebag." Nick eased off his bar stool and slid his beer along the counter until it dropped off the end, carrying it nonchalantly by his side. He stepped up behind the woman but faced the jerk that was hitting on her.

"Come on man, she said enough." He tried to reason with him. The woman turned to look at her defender, but Nick continued to watch the man intently. He looked like he wasn't ready to back down. "She's clearly not interested. Why don't you try hitting on some of the girls at that table over there?" Nick pointed to a table full of hookers, which he was able to recognize quite easily because of his job.

"How about you mind your own business and let me finish talking." The man gave Nick a warning look. Nick hated pulling this card, but he didn't want it to escalate into an even bigger scene. It was supposed to be a non-work related night out. He pulled his wallet out of his pocket and quickly flashed his ID.

"Look, I'm with LVPD, and I'm gonna need you to step off and go find someone else." At first, the guy didn't seem interested because it wasn't a shiny police badge, but LVPD was clearly displayed as a watermark behind the ID information.

"Yeah, fine. I was just looking for some ass." He shook his head and walked away. Nick shuffled over a few steps and looked at the woman. He couldn't help noticing how beautiful she was.

"Are you okay ma'am?" He asked, setting his beer down on her table, but not sitting down. He didn't want to intrude on her night out, although she looked like she was alone, which he found strange. She smiled and nodded at him.

"Yes. Thank you very much. I could have handled that myself, but I appreciate your help." She offered her hand. "I'm Lily." Nick smiled and shook her hand.

"Nick."

"And you are with the police department? Are you a cop?" She asked. Nick shrugged it off.

"Sort of with the department, not a cop." Lily noticed his demeanor changed with the subject of work, as if he started to withdraw.

"Well, Nick. It's nice to meet you. Would you like to join me? I promise we don't have to talk about work." Nick smiled, unable to figure out how she knew he didn't want to talk about it. Nevertheless, he sat down at her table.

"Thanks." He tilted his head towards her. "Hey, what are you doing here all by yourself?" He asked her, taking a swig from his beer.

"Who would I go with?" Lily shrugged. "I'm new in town and don't know anyone." Nick took a swig of his beer and set it back down on the table, absently twisting it around in his hand.

"Welcome to Las Vegas! Where are you from?"

"I came here from New Orleans, but I'm originally from Alaska." She leaned in a little to better hear him, her arm resting on the edge of the table.

"Wow! You move around a lot." Nick's eyebrows rose. "Did you leave for work?"

"I left Alaska for school when I was eighteen, then went to a few different schools around the country; once I graduated, it was all for work." She reached for her own beer, sitting in front of her with a graceful, manicured hand.

"So you _do_ move around a lot." Nick confirmed. She nodded.

"Alaska wasn't the right fit for me. I loved the natural beauty, but I needed to see more.

"A lot more apparently." He smiled.

"I like Vegas though. It's almost like it has a life force of its own rather than staying with the conventional."

"So you will be staying awhile?" He asked, draining his beer.

"I hope so." She smiled. "I have a few things lined up here so I think I will be staying."

"Well, you know that I'm with the police force, but what about you?" He asked, leaning back in his chair. He couldn't help noticing how pretty she was, but he wasn't about to go down that route. Every time he got together with a woman, she ended up dead.

"I'm a librarian...of sorts." She swigged the last of her beer and placed the bottle back on the table; enjoying talking to Nick and watching his eyebrows shoot up on his forehead in surprise. She could see that he was a good guy and decided he would be a great friend.

"A librarian? No way. You're lying." He laughed.

"What makes you say that?" She smiled, folding her hands in her lap.

"You are way too beautiful to be a librarian. Aren't they all like...crabby, sixty year old cat ladies?" He scooted his chair closer, he was definitely interested now.

"Not all of them; although, I do have a cat." She confessed with a quiet laugh.

"I knew it!" Nick joked. "You know what; it's hard to hear in here, do you want to take a walk with me?" He asked, hoping she wouldn't think he was a creep. To his surprise, she didn't hesitate at all.

"Yeah, that would be great. I think I've seen my fill of the band anyway." She reached for her clutch and stood. Nick chuckled when she stood. He couldn't help noticing that even wearing heels, she was the same height sitting at the high table as she was standing. The other thing he noticed was that she was hot. Really hot. She was wearing a black dress that fit her like a glove, her long, silky brown hair was braided loosely over one shoulder, and when she turned to head towards the exit, he noticed the back of her dress, which was backless, and there were colourful straps sewn diagonally across the back near the top of the dress. He shook his head. He couldn't get into a relationship with this girl. _Just a friendship_. Nick couldn't help wondering how this girl was still single.

When she got outside, Lily turned to face Nick, her blue eyes shining in the lamp light.

"So? Where to? Show me Vegas." She smiled a toothy grin. He grinned back.

"I don't know, walk along the strip in those heels?" He nudged his chin in the direction of her shoes. Lily laughed.

"Well, maybe you are right. I can run home and change?" She offered. Lily wanted to spend some time with Nick, get to know him better.

"Would you be okay if I drove you home? I don't think running is such a good idea either." Nick winked, knowing she probably meant cab it home, but he offered nonetheless.

"That would be fine by me." She smiled and before he even offered, she slipped her arm in the crook of his elbow, and started walking in the direction of the parking lot to the bar. Nick smiled, unable to comprehend Lily and her independent ways. She literally had no clue who Nick was, but not only was she willing to go out with him, but also willing to let him drive her to her place so she could change. He felt like she wasn't scared of anything.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"This is my place." Lily opened the door to her apartment, holding it open for Nick. "Please excuse the mess, I'm still unpacking." Nick looked around, incredulous.

"What mess?! There's hardly anything in here!" Lily veered left and headed for what Nick assumed to be her bedroom and he immediately headed for a self-guided tour, forgetting to ask permission after being used to solitary trips through strange places thanks to his job. In the kitchen, he found a tea kettle on the stove and a cat food bowl on the floor, everything else was hidden away if she had anything else. In the dining room, there was a small table and chairs, almost too small for the room. She had one place setting on the table, and a candle as the centrepiece. From there, he moved to the living room and found a small couch, modern in style and slim, a throw blanket draped neatly over the back. There was no coffee table, only two side tables with matching lamps on either end. The only other furniture in the room was a whole lot of milk crates stacked against a far wall on their sides, holding enough books to create a small library. In one milk crate, he found a docking station for an iPod. There wasn't even a TV. Off the living room, he moved through a short hallway and found an open doorway on the right side. As he moved towards it, he could see a large Apple computer monitor and signature white keyboard sitting on a makeshift desk of more milk crates turned on their sides and a piece of plywood on the top. He also caught a glimpse of a Macbook lying closed on the floor, and books and papers strewn across the floor and more papers tacked up on the wall. Before he could move further into the room, Lily came to find him.

"There you are." She smiled, not annoyed at all that he was snooping. "Ready to go?" Nick turned to her, she had changed into skinny blue jeans and a grey and maroon coloured raglan sleeve shirt and grey TOMS. She had also changed her purse to a brown box purse with loads of zippers. The only part of her that remained the same was the loose auburn braid falling over her shoulder. When Nick didn't say anything, she gave him a funny look. "Nick, are you okay?" She asked, scrutinizing his face. Nick inhaled quickly and looked away, nodding.

"Yep. Good to go." He shoved his hands in his jeans pockets and walked back to the front door of the apartment. "How long did you say you had been in Vegas?" He asked, walking down the stairs beside her.

"Um, maybe five months?" She did a bit of mental math. "In and around there." She smiled as he held the front door to the apartment building open for her. "Why do you ask?"

"I was just noticing how sparse your apartment is. You barley own anything. I didn't even see any pictures." He hoped he wasn't being too intrusive.

"When you move around as much as I do, it pays to travel light. Even my book shelf does double duty as packing material." She laughed. "As for pictures, I have a few pictures on my computer. That's good enough for me. My family and I aren't really that close." She slid into the passenger seat of his car and waited for him to get in.

"You aren't close with your family? Do you miss them? I mean, you are a long way from home." Nick pulled smoothly out of the parking space and began to drive, headed down a scenic route while she looked out the window.

"Sure I miss them, but I always felt very disconnected to them. I'm the only girl in my family and they are all big hunters. I prefer books." She turned her head and smiled at him. He didn't look very convinced. "Honestly, Nick. I don't even remember the last phone call I had from my parents. I don't think I hear from them unless it's an emergency of some sort." She tried to think back to her last phone conversation with them.

"Well, how long ago was it that you actually saw them in person?" He asked. She had the answer for that one.

"The day I graduated from high school. That was the day that I left Anchorage." She tucked her hands neatly between her knees, looking out the windshield. Nick couldn't help feeling sad for her. He didn't know what he would do without his family and couldn't imagine not talking to them or seeing them for years. He thought about his parents and his brothers and sisters and how close they all were. Lily glanced in his direction, reading his tensed jaw muscle and his furrowed brow.

"It's not that sad, really. I know they are there for me if I need them." It was sort of a half-truth. They would _try_ to be there for her, but really, they never understood her and her problems to begin with.

"I just keep thinking about how close I am to my family. I have a hard time thinking of it any other way." He admitted.

"Tell me about them." She angled her body more towards him, giving her full attention to him. He cleared his throat.

"Well, I'm not from Vegas either." Nick began. Lily interrupted.

"You are from Texas, probably Dallas." Lily guessed. Nick was speechless.

"How did you know that?" He glanced at her when it was safe to do so as he was driving. Lily waved him off.

"Oh it was easy. I just listened to you speaking. Your inflection, intonation and accent gave it away." Nick was silent again.

"Yeah okay." He finally said, starting to realize just how smart she was. She was rapidly changing his librarian stereotype. "So anyway, my parents still live in Dallas. My father is a judge, my mother is a lawyer. I am the youngest of seven." He rattled off. It was Lily's turn to be surprised.

"Seven kids? Wow! I guess you didn't get bored much as a child." She was trying to wrap her head around the seven children thing. Nick laughed.

"That's an understatement. I have four older sisters and two older brothers, and they are all following in my parents footsteps." He changed his grip on the steering wheel.

"I guess if I ever find myself in Dallas and in need of a lawyer or a judge, I know who to call."

"Just ask for a Stokes." He smiled, looking over at her.

Not long afterward, they found themselves in a park, walking along the winding paths and looking up at the night sky. They continued to walk and talk for hours, just getting to know each other. Both Nick and Lily could feel some sort of attraction.

After what felt like no time at all, Nick was walking her to her apartment door.

"I had a lot of fun tonight. Thank you, I needed that." He smiled, hands in his pockets, leaning on her door frame.

"I did too." She agreed. There was a moment's pause where neither said anything, just looked at each other.

"What do you think this is…I mean this thing between us?" Nick asked. Lily didn't break eye contact.

"I don't know. Nick, I have to tell you that I am not looking for any sort of relationship other than friendship. I am devoted to my work, and right now I'm at such a crucial point that I can't afford any other distractions." Nick nodded. He was simultaneously glad that she felt the same way he did, but also disappointed.

"I feel the same way. My work keeps me away for hours at a time, sometimes almost full days. I can't be involved either." He only told her half the story. He didn't want to tell her that he didn't want to find her dead. Lily nodded.

"Good. Now that that's out of the way we can move forward." She held out her hand. "Give me your phone." She waited for him to dig it out of his pocket and put the passcode in. He then handed it to her. She keyed in her name and phone number and gave it back. "There. Now you can text me. Let's do this again sometime." She smiled and kissed his cheek, not waiting for a response before closing the door behind her. Nick grinned and stood for a minute at her door, thinking of all the things they could do together. He sauntered back down to his car and drove himself home, thinking of her the whole way.

Lily kicked off her shoes once she got to her room and flopped down on her bed, trying to suppress the feelings she was having for Nick. She had her career to focus on. She was just given a huge opportunity and she wasn't going to let it slip through her fingers because of a relationship, no matter how cute he and his accent were. She was lost in thought when suddenly a furry head butted her in the face. She laughed.

"Oh Aslan, I'm sorry I'm late." He sat down next to her and let her scratch his ears, starting to purr. "Forgive me?" She asked. He gave a non-committal meow. "I promise you are the only man in my life." She scooped him up and hugged him closely, kissing his furry cheek. This seemed to pacify him and he settled in for a cuddle.

Nick crawled into bed, yawning loudly. He knew he had made the right choice with Lily, but he still couldn't help thinking of her. He found her fascinating. Not only was she beautiful, but she was incredibly smart too, and he found that extremely attractive. He suddenly had an idea and leaned over to pick up his phone. He opened a new text message and typed in Lily's name.

_Museum tomorrow. You in? –Nick_ He typed, and then hit send. A few minutes later, his phone buzzed. He eagerly picked it up.

_You know it!_ Was her reply. He brought the keyboard up and responded one last time.

_Pick you up at 6. _He pressed send, turned his phone on silent and rolled over, falling into a peaceful sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Hey, what do you think they are renovating this old room for?" Morgan pointed to a closed door down the hall from the break room with paper shielding the window. Nick glanced over and laughed.

"Who knows? Probably something they think will benefit us but that they didn't even bother to ask if it would help. You know, the usual." He smiled, looking down at his watch, counting down until he got to see Lily after work.

"What's with you these past couple weeks?" Morgan asked Nick. "You just seem so happy." Morgan threw a piece of popcorn from her microwavable bag at him. Nick couldn't help but smile, but he really didn't want to discuss his personal life with Morgan.

"I guess I'm just in a good mood." He evaded. He had spent the last few weeks exploring the sights of Vegas with Lily. The more he got to know her the deeper in trouble he was getting. So far they had been to the museum, Cirque du Soleil, and to the movies, not to mention all of the touristy places. They had even taken to hanging out at each other's places too. She loved Sam. He was meeting her for breakfast after work and then they were going to go for a walk with him. Unbeknownst to Nick, Morgan was watching him as he was lost in thought.

"So, who is she?" She asked. Nick jerked back to reality.

"No one. There is no one." He shook his head. "I have to get down to the lab and see how my evidence is doing." He got up and left the room, which only confirmed Morgan's suspicions. She wasn't going to give up that easily.

Lily headed back to her office, formerly known as the second bedroom, coffee in hand. Her hair was tied up in a knot on the top of her head, and she was wearing a pair of baggy sweatpants and a tank top. This was how she worked best. Carefully, she set down the coffee cup on the coaster which was placed in between some files, barely visible on her desk and sat down again with a sigh.

"Where was I?" She asked herself, shuffling around some papers until she found the binder she was looking for. "Okay Las Vegas crime 1990s, here I come." She began pulling textbooks from all over her desk. When she found passages she needed, she placed them on the floor close by for reference. She pulled up some reference tools on her computer and began pouring over them, taking notes as she needed to. Although she had a photographic memory, part of the way she focused and retained information was to take notes.

Hours later, she was on her stomach on the floor, flipping pages in textbooks, speed reading her way through them. She was now into the crime of 2000s; her coffee long forgotten and untouched.

_How's your night going?_ Her phone beeped at her. She couldn't help but smile. Nick was apparently the only thing that could distract her. She picked up her phone.

_It's good- very productive. Yours? _She responded. She put her phone down and flipped through a few more pages.

_Dirty. I'm going to have to shower when I get back to the department. _He responded. Lily tried not to let an image of Nick showering cross her mind but inevitably it did and her mind wandered off for a few minutes.

_At least you will be nice and clean for breakfast. _She eventually replied. He didn't respond to that; she figured he must have gotten busy, so she left it alone; working for a few more hours. Her alarm went off as per her usual- making sure she didn't get too wrapped up in her night time research. She got up, stretched and headed for the shower. It was time to get ready to meet Nick for breakfast. Once out of the shower, she put some light makeup on her face- just a bit of eyeliner and mascara and lip balm, then blow dried her hair until it was sleek and smooth. It was promising to be a beautiful day outside- according to her bedroom window, so she chose a light cotton lilac purple dress. She paired it with a gold medallion necklace and gold sandals before heading out the door.

"Be back later, Aslan. I'm going out with Nick." She went over to wear he was sleeping on the couch, flat on his back and kissed his belly. He purred appreciatively.

Nick got out of the shower at the department, he had spent his whole morning dumpster diving for a weapon which thankfully he did find in the bottom of the bin. He changed into a nice pair of Diesel jeans and a grey t-shirt.

"There. Presentable." He murmured to himself. He stuck his wallet in his back pocket and grabbed his car keys, shutting his locker door and heading out of the locker room.

"Hey, Nicky! Are you coming for breakfast?" DB called from down the hall. He turned walking backwards.

"Sorry, I have plans." He shrugged.

"See you tomorrow." DB waved and headed into his office. Nick was glad he didn't put up more of a fight.

Nick was sitting in the booth of the restaurant, coffee already ordered for both of them, since he knew how she took her coffee and was looking at a menu when a familiar smell wafted by him- the smell of roses. He felt his insides do a flop and looked up to see Lily standing there.

"Hey stranger." She smiled, kissing his cheek and sitting down opposite him. "How was work?" Lily noticed he was wearing the jeans she liked.

"Alright, glad to be done, though. How was your night?" He asked, putting down his menu.

"It was good. I got a huge amount of stuff done." She sipped her coffee and made a delighted sound. "My coffee is perfect. Thank you." She smiled, looking at her menu. He continued to stare at her for a minute, noticing how perfect her mouth was. Lily glanced up and caught Nick's eye. They both smiled. At that moment, Lily knew that Nick was having the same problem keeping distant as she was. Later on, when she thought back, she would realize she had known for a long time and refused to see it. She was too smart not to notice it in his body language.

"Today, my co-worker asked if I had met someone." Nick told her, sipping his own coffee.

"Really?" Lily closed her menu and looked up. "How did that go?" Nick shrugged, but continued to smile.

"Oh you know. I told her all about this awesome, really smart girl that I've been talking to for weeks." He paused. "She completely understood."

"You didn't tell her anything." Lily rolled her eyes. "There's nothing to tell; although I have really been enjoying this too. I think it's good for both of us." Her foot nudged his leg, but Nick couldn't tell if it was an accident or intentional, either way, he loved it.

After breakfast, they drove back to his place and put Sam on his leash, Lily on her knees hugging Sam and speaking to him in conversational French. He found this out about two weeks ago- and he found it incredibly attractive. Not only did she love his dog, but she could speak with him. It was the first night she had been over to his place and discovered that Sam only spoke French.

"Do you speak any other languages that I should know about?" He had asked, incredulous.

"A few." She smiled mischievously and shrugged him off. Nick knew she was very humble about her brain and she didn't like showing off.

At the dog park they walked around together, letting Sam do his own thing. He often thundered his way back to them from across the park- just to make sure they didn't forget about him. Every time this happened, Lily would give his ears a good scratch and he would lope off and play again. Nick and Lily were so deep in conversation that they didn't notice the small droplets falling from the now cloudy sky. Before they knew it, the sky opened up and a torrential downpour came down on them, soaking them to the bone. They called for Sam and ran back to Nick's house. By the time they got close, they were soaked to the bone. Sam was splashing through every puddle he could find, just like a little kid. Nick turned to look at Lily and noticed she was shivering, her arms wrapped around herself in a hug.

"Are you cold?" He asked, wrapping his arm around her.

"Thanks. I clearly wasn't expecting to be wet and cold." She admitted, pointed to her light dress that was now clinging to her. She leaned into him as they walked.

"You mean, Mrs. Smartypants did _not_ know it was going to rain today?" He teased.

"I never claimed to be clairvoyant." She retorted, bringing one of her arms around his waist so she could get in closer. He was much warmer than she was. The downpour was turning into a storm like no other, it was so loud they could barely hear each other. They ran the last little way to Nick's house, closing the door behind them and feeling the sudden stillness in the quiet house. The foyer was small and they were cramped together, trying not to get the carpet wet.

"Here, let me get you some towels." Nick kicked off his wet shoes and socks, walking across the living room, and down the hallway. Lily stood there, shivering, trying to take her sandals off with wet fingers. Sam shook himself dry, which in effect made Lily wetter, and went to go lie down in his bed, the effect of the walk, the park, and the puddles being too much excitement for him. When Nick came back, he wasn't wearing a shirt.

"Here. This should help." He wrapped a huge towel around her and started rubbing her arms to get some circulation back into them. They stood like that for a minute, not speaking. Lily looked up at Nick, and they shared another quiet moment. Before Nick realized what he was doing, he was kissing her. Even more surprising, she was kissing him back. They stood for what felt like eternity, her arms around his neck, his around her waist, the towels forgotten on the floor in a heap.

Nick scooted his hands down under her bum, lifting her into his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist and Nick started walking slowly to the bedroom, trying to navigate with familiarity, since he didn't want to stop kissing her long enough to see where he was going. He found his bedroom door and inched through it, closing it behind him. He had waited a long time for this, and he didn't know if he would ever get to this point with this amazing woman. He wasn't going to let her slip through his fingers.


End file.
